Fulham v Brighton & Hove Albion: Key stats and talking points
- Published
Fulham and Brighton & Hove Albion will be out to break free of the Premier League's mid-table maelstrom when they meet at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
Both teams saw dramatic late goals go in in their respective games last week. Fulham conceded a stoppage-time strike to lose 1-0 at Leeds United, while Brighton salvaged a point against Bournemouth thanks to an overhead kick from Charalampos Kostoulas.
Sitting 11th and 12th going into the weekend's fixtures, victory for either side would put them back in touch with the European places.
Fulham on the back foot
Fulham's six-game unbeaten run was ended by Leeds last time out and there is plenty for head coach Marco Silva to ponder.
Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey are back from the Africa Cup of Nations, and the Portuguese coach will be hopeful they can get Fulham on the front foot in games.
Off the ball this season, Fulham have been ponderous for large parts, with their 91 high turnovers – the amount of times they've earned possession in open play within 40 metres of the opponent's goal – comfortably the lowest of any team in the league.
They are also bottom for pressed sequences, a measure of how effectively a team disrupts their opponents' ability to play out from the back.
Much of the off-the-ball intensity is initiated by the forward line and, in 34-year-old Raul Jimenez, Fulham may not have the most dynamic pressing trigger.
The Mexico international has been valuable to the team with his goalscoring this season, though. All five of his strikes this campaign have put the team ahead – the highest 100% record of any player in the league in that category.
Seagulls' subs saving the day
There have been plenty of times in his second season in charge that head coach Fabian Hurzeler has failed to get things right from the start for Brighton. Often, though, he has been able to salvage matches with his in-game acumen.
Kostoulas' goal on Monday night was the ninth scored by a Seagulls substitute this season and the 14th goal involvement from a player coming off the bench. Brighton lead the way in both categories.
They have also made the joint most substitutions by any team in the Premier League this season. The only side that can match their 104 changes across 22 games so far are Fulham.
Last season, it was Silva who made the most effective changes in the Premier League, with 17 of their goals coming from substitutes. Brighton were second with 15.
So while things could start slowly on Saturday, both coaches have proven themselves well capable of altering the course of a contest.
